Forge Global and SharesPost, Inc, preeminent private securities marketplaces, announced today they have signed an agreement to merge, pending regulatory approval and customary closing conditions. Together, the two companies will create one of the largest global private securities marketplaces, bringing liquidity and transparency at scale to pre-IPO companies and investors.
Combined the two companies have facilitated thousands of transactions, resulting in more than $6 billion in private market transaction volume, for hundreds of private companies. Together, the companies have a combined customer base of more than 1 million and will strengthen their comprehensive and scalable technology platform, furthering the combined entity’s position as a leading source of historical private market trade data.
“We see a world of rapidly evolving capital solutions that keep pace with the evolutionary magnitude that innovation companies are driving in the global economy,” said Kelly Rodriques, CEO of Forge. “SharesPost has been a trailblazer in the industry; joining forces will greatly benefit our customers, as well as accelerate and expand our capabilities as the operating system for private market transactions. Ultimately, we will deliver more mission critical infrastructure for our customers than any other private market operator in the world.”
With this deal, the combined company will be strongly positioned to serve the unique needs of both Retail and Institutional investors across the globe. The combined platforms will provide buyers and sellers with deeper insight on private company trends, as well as bid, offer, and pricing data that provides transparency to clients and partners to better understand and engage in the private markets.
“We launched SharesPost a decade ago with the mission of creating a far more efficient, more liquid capital market to support entrepreneurs and their companies,” said Greg Brogger, Founder and CEO of SharesPost. “By combining these two companies, we believe we create a leader in the private markets and complete our mission.”
Rodriques will continue as CEO of the combined entity under Forge Global, Inc. SharesPost founder and CEO Greg Brogger will step down from his current role, but will continue to advise the combined company as a member of the Forge Board of Directors. Forge will maintain offices in San Francisco, New York, San Carlos, South Dakota and Hong Kong. SharesPost’s investment advisor and certain other subsidiaries will be excluded from the transaction and will continue to operate independent of the combined companies.
Financial Technology Partners (“FT Partners”) served as exclusive financial and strategic advisor to Forge and it’s Board of Directors in this transaction.
About Forge
As private market innovators, Forge serves the complex and emerging needs of the private market ecosystem by forging new connections through our technology, data and expertise. Founded in 2014, the firm empowers investors and shareholders by enabling liquidity in the private markets. Forge was founded by Y Combinator alumni and backed by top Silicon Valley investors and large, global institutions including Peter Thiel, Draper Associates, Munich Re, BNP Paribas, Deutsche Börse and TD Ameritrade.
About SharesPost, Inc.
SharesPost launched the first secondary market for private tech company shares in 2009 and built the leading platform for secondary transactions. SharesPost provides the private growth asset class with a suite of trading solutions and investment solutions to facilitate shareholder liquidity. SharesPost has trading operations in San Francisco and New York City.
SharesPost Financial Corporation, an SEC registered broker-dealer and a member of FINRA and SIPC, and SP Investments Management, LLC, an SEC registered investment adviser, are wholly owned subsidiaries of SharesPost Inc. Certain affiliates of these entities may act as principals in such transactions. Investing in private company securities is appropriate only for those investors who can tolerate a high degree of risk and do not require a liquid investment.
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